How closely involved was Godard in creating the look of the film? Did he check each shot through the viewfinder, for example?
The process of making the film 'Breathless' was like being a photo-journalist. When I was moving the camera there were no instructions – Jean-Luc would just say, “You follow her,” or “You don’t follow her.” It wasn’t complicated. His approach was the opposite of the usual one. A director normally states what he or she wants in the shot or before shooting they would say what they want or how they want to capture a particualr scene or image, but Jean-Luc would say, ‘I don’t want to see the top of his hat or anything below the pocket.” Instead of saying, “I want this in the frame,” he’d just explain what he didn’t want to appear.
What are your impressions on watching Breathless 50 years later? What do you feel is its lasting influence?
It hasn’t dated. A lot of Jean-Luc’s films have that in common: often, when they first see them, people don’t like them at all, but then when they watch them a few years later they find them very good. His influence has been both good and bad. He changed the face of cinema and got people using different tools, different methods, to make films. At the same time, it has been damaging because for a while everyone thought you make a film about anything, with anyone and in any old way, forgetting that Jean-Luc was not only talented but a genius. Breathless redefined how we view films by reinforcing the importance of the auteur and the power of editing, as well as introducing new narrative techniques that would influence every film made afterward. Its main character was the first of his kind- amoral, self obsessed, and detached. Godard, inspired by filmmakers such as Welles, Rossellini, Fuller, and Melville, essentially took everything he knew about film technique and history (tracking shots, crane & dolly shots, fade outs, etc.) shot in a documentary style and put everything together through his revolutionary jump-cut editing.
Why did you not tell any of the
Monday, 27 February 2012
Monday, 20 February 2012
How do micro codes in 'Double Endemnity' help enhance the central themes presented in the film?
The film 'Double Endemnity' is highly regarded by many film critics as the first true film noir. It is also one of the best film noirs, because of the characters, the scenario and the stylistic elements of 'Double Endemnity' that all perfectly represent this group of Hollywood films from the early 1940's to the late 1950's. Throughout the film there is a dark tone that constantly revolves around the protagonist characters and the darkness is visually visible which creates enigma and a sense of the unknown. The protagonist is led astray by the allure of potentail wealth promoted by greed and lust and the seductive, yet deadly femme fatale which will lead the protagonist to his impending fate set up the narrative for an excellent film noir.
'Double Endemnity' is a great film noir, because it has some of the best examples of hardboiled language as two legends of hardboiled fiction contributed to the script. Another characteristic of hardboiled fiction and film noir is the first person narrative which 'Double Endemnity' also incorprates and the film is in flash backs which was the typical style of film noir and because it is in stages of a flash back, it ensures that the characters are morally complex with an evoking enigma and it takes the basis of a story; it is also non linear. In the beginning of the film it starts with the protagonist getting out of a dark car and there is low key lighting. This already draws forth that this character is morally complex, because we do not know where he has come from and what he is going to do at his destination. It is dark outside and when he enters the room, it uses low key lightning which creates a sense of perplexity. What the protagonist is wearing is also a key ingredient; a trench coat and a suit which are typical micro codes which help to enhance the central themes expressed in the film.
Also in the beginning when he walks out of his car, we dont actually see his face until a couple of minutes later which reiterates the idea of a mystifying character and his back is turned to us, as he walks further away from the camera, it uses non diegetic film to create an ery tension which keeps the audience watching. When we eventaully do see his face it is a low camera angle, about a middle shot and the camera is panning following the protagonist. Not many camera angles or shot types are used in this film and it is at a slow pace which is benefical for a film noir. When he walks on the veranda from the night sky and the low key lighting it creates a shadow that walks with him and this is the shadow effect which gives the idea of a split personality that will be conveyed throught the film. The film presents itself as a no linear structure because the protoganist is reflecting on what has digressed and it uses a single shot which represents his allientation and what he does not have in his life.
From the opening camera shots of the protagonist character in the beginning of the film, it uses single shots to represent the protagonists alienation, but when he first enters the femme fatale's house the typical convention of venetion blinds is used. The effect of this is the split personality and conflicting morals. With the introduction of the femme fatale, the protagonists fate is already sealed. The femme fatale is a mysterious and seductive women who charms ensures that she wraps her lovers in bonds of irresistable desire and in many cases often leading them into comprising, dangerous and deadly situations and 'Double Indemnity' is no exception. The femme fatale finds herself in a precarious predicament when she reaslises that she does not love her husband and she wants to kill him. The femme fatale asserts her stereotypical characterisitics when she first encounters the protagonist and she is in her bath robes with nothing on underneath. The camera angle that is used here is an over the shoulder shot from the protagonist and this is used so that the audience can reflect with the protagonist's character and we can see his view.
Describing their first encounter, Walter Neff, the narrator and central male figure of the film, immediately verbalizes the way Phyllis is meant to be perceived both by the male characters and by the audience. His eyes, along with the camera, are immediately drawn to her curvaceous figure, her tight-fitting clothes, and her tempting anklet. The camera follows his lustful gaze giving a long close-up of the anklet in question. Nearing the end of 'Double Indemnity' and Neff's suscpicions of Phyllis double-crossing him are confirmed, he realises that one death is not enough. The scene is a steryotipical of film noir, Phyllis, scented and wearing silk pajams, typical conventions of the femme fatale conceals her pistol below a cushion before diming the lights. Non diegetic sound is used to create an uprising tension and the camera angle used when Phyllis goes to the door is a high camera angle, so where she believes that she is in control, we can see that because the camera angle is making her seem smaller in stature and smaller in power it is decieving becasue the femme fatale is about to meet her fate. She goes off turning all the lights off which could present her darker side closing in on the light and finally the venition blinds create the split personalitly. Phyllis takes out a cigarette which is another convention of film noir, which is used for relaxation. The non diegetic sound stops when the sound of the door closes. When Neff enters, he is preceded by his shadow, as if this rendezvous is already in the immaterial world.
'Double Endemnity' is a great film noir, because it has some of the best examples of hardboiled language as two legends of hardboiled fiction contributed to the script. Another characteristic of hardboiled fiction and film noir is the first person narrative which 'Double Endemnity' also incorprates and the film is in flash backs which was the typical style of film noir and because it is in stages of a flash back, it ensures that the characters are morally complex with an evoking enigma and it takes the basis of a story; it is also non linear. In the beginning of the film it starts with the protagonist getting out of a dark car and there is low key lighting. This already draws forth that this character is morally complex, because we do not know where he has come from and what he is going to do at his destination. It is dark outside and when he enters the room, it uses low key lightning which creates a sense of perplexity. What the protagonist is wearing is also a key ingredient; a trench coat and a suit which are typical micro codes which help to enhance the central themes expressed in the film.
Also in the beginning when he walks out of his car, we dont actually see his face until a couple of minutes later which reiterates the idea of a mystifying character and his back is turned to us, as he walks further away from the camera, it uses non diegetic film to create an ery tension which keeps the audience watching. When we eventaully do see his face it is a low camera angle, about a middle shot and the camera is panning following the protagonist. Not many camera angles or shot types are used in this film and it is at a slow pace which is benefical for a film noir. When he walks on the veranda from the night sky and the low key lighting it creates a shadow that walks with him and this is the shadow effect which gives the idea of a split personality that will be conveyed throught the film. The film presents itself as a no linear structure because the protoganist is reflecting on what has digressed and it uses a single shot which represents his allientation and what he does not have in his life.
From the opening camera shots of the protagonist character in the beginning of the film, it uses single shots to represent the protagonists alienation, but when he first enters the femme fatale's house the typical convention of venetion blinds is used. The effect of this is the split personality and conflicting morals. With the introduction of the femme fatale, the protagonists fate is already sealed. The femme fatale is a mysterious and seductive women who charms ensures that she wraps her lovers in bonds of irresistable desire and in many cases often leading them into comprising, dangerous and deadly situations and 'Double Indemnity' is no exception. The femme fatale finds herself in a precarious predicament when she reaslises that she does not love her husband and she wants to kill him. The femme fatale asserts her stereotypical characterisitics when she first encounters the protagonist and she is in her bath robes with nothing on underneath. The camera angle that is used here is an over the shoulder shot from the protagonist and this is used so that the audience can reflect with the protagonist's character and we can see his view.
Describing their first encounter, Walter Neff, the narrator and central male figure of the film, immediately verbalizes the way Phyllis is meant to be perceived both by the male characters and by the audience. His eyes, along with the camera, are immediately drawn to her curvaceous figure, her tight-fitting clothes, and her tempting anklet. The camera follows his lustful gaze giving a long close-up of the anklet in question. Nearing the end of 'Double Indemnity' and Neff's suscpicions of Phyllis double-crossing him are confirmed, he realises that one death is not enough. The scene is a steryotipical of film noir, Phyllis, scented and wearing silk pajams, typical conventions of the femme fatale conceals her pistol below a cushion before diming the lights. Non diegetic sound is used to create an uprising tension and the camera angle used when Phyllis goes to the door is a high camera angle, so where she believes that she is in control, we can see that because the camera angle is making her seem smaller in stature and smaller in power it is decieving becasue the femme fatale is about to meet her fate. She goes off turning all the lights off which could present her darker side closing in on the light and finally the venition blinds create the split personalitly. Phyllis takes out a cigarette which is another convention of film noir, which is used for relaxation. The non diegetic sound stops when the sound of the door closes. When Neff enters, he is preceded by his shadow, as if this rendezvous is already in the immaterial world.
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